Information

Open to all fiction books by indie writers, self-published authors and books published by independent presses
Entry fee £36

Prize:

First Prize £1500 plus guaranteed read by London agent MBA

The Rubery Prize is a prestigious international book award seeking the best books by indie writers, self published authors and books published by independent presses, judged by reputable judges. Creative writing is such a key part of life for those who enjoy writing yet it is increasingly difficult to become traditionally published. Read more

Information

Closing date:

1 March 2007

Entry:

Each entry should comprise an original and new piece of writing of no more than 1,500 words, focusing upon how the entrant learned to cook and what food means to him or her. Each entry should include at least one recipe interwoven into the narrative; all recipes to be new and original.
Open to any previously unpublished cookery writer.

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'I put my whole soul into this book, but I didn't allow myself to hope that it would lead to anything. In fact I firmly hedged my bets against it having any success at all, because it would have been too painful to hope and then be disappointed.

In 1965 the eminent American science-fiction writer John W Campbell wrote an essay titled The Barbarians Within. In it, he recommended that "the barbarian" - and it was clear he meant African Americans - be injected with cocaine and heroin in order to be kept under control. It was a plan that, he said, "has the advantage ... Read more

"I decided to have a book of poems published at my own expense." It was 1909, a year before William Carlos Williams would open his pediatric practice in his hometown of Rutherford, New Jersey. A friend of his father owned a local print shop, so Williams paid for Poems, his 22-page chapbook, to be produced. Epigraphs from Shakespeare and Keats led the earnest little book. Read more

If crime fiction reflects society, what can books published during wartime tell us about ourselves? Historical events obviously help shape our society and form our sense of cultural identity, and crime fiction is one mechanism for people to reflect upon that identity. Read more

Since 2012, the year I began working exclusively with self-publishers, I've helped more than 100 authors create self-publishing imprints. Some of these were formed as corporations and LLCs, but most were in name only. Read more

As video content continues to grow in popularity and importance-with the original video sharing platform YouTube now the second most visited website in the world (behind Google)-are publishers doing enough to capitalise on this highly effective and engaging form of marketing? Read more

In every informational interview I've participated in, students and interns begin in the same way-what they most want me to know about them, even before the school they're going to (or in one case, even their name): They love to read. When I hear this my heart sinks. I don't want to put these applications in the "no" pile, but I know I have to. Read more

Born in Maine in 1947, Stephen King wrote his first published novel, Carrie, in 1974 and has spent the subsequent half-century documenting the monsters and heroes of small-town America. His rogues' gallery of characters runs the gamut from killer clowns and demonic cars to psychotic fans and unhinged populist politicians. Read more

'I put my whole soul into this book, but I didn't allow myself to hope that it would lead to anything. In fact I firmly hedged my bets against it having any success at all, because it would have been too painful to hope and then be disappointed," she said. "But then this happens, and I'm proven miraculously, incredibly, joyously wrong... Read more

'Your writing voice is the deepest possible reflection of who you are. The job of your voice is not to seduce or flatter or make well-shaped sentences. In your voice, your readers should be able to hear the contents of your mind, your heart, your soul.'

Information

Open internationally to all poets who are 17 or over
Entry fee £7 for the first poem, £4 for subsequent poems

Prize:

First Prize £5,000, Second Prize £2,000, Third Prize £1,000 and 7 Commendations £200

One of the biggest single poem competitions in the world, the National Poetry CompetitionAnnual poetry prize run by the UK-based Poetry Society established in 1978; accepts entries from all over the world; over 10,000 poems submitted each year is open to anyone aged 17 or older. Run by the Poetry Society in the UK, the competition is for previously unpublished poems of up to 40 lines in length.

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‘I write what I would like to read -what I think other women would like to read. If what I write makes a woman in the Canadian mountains cry and she writes and tells me about it, especially if she says, "I read it to Tom when he came in from work and he cried too", I feel I have succeeded.'